January 2019

A Contemplative Exercise
for January

The following is a possible framework for the Witnessing of the Word. It
can be personalised, or altered: its purpose is to serve as an example of how
this Saying might be used primarily in the context of a Prayer Group, but it
may be used by individuals if so wished. It is not intended to be definitive.

In the context of a group: the periods of silence should be appropriate
for your group - probably not less than 5 minutes, or more than 15 minutes.

Saying for the month

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved” Mark 13.2,8 and 13 (NEB and RSV)

To begin the exercise,
first spend a short while in relaxation and preparing to be still; become aware
of the sounds around you and put them aside; offer this time of prayer to God.

Say this introductory
invitation to prayer, then keep a further minute or two of silence:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will
give you rest" Matthew 11.28

Introduction to the first silence - a preparation for listening with the
mind:

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved”

Preparation for
the Messianic Age is underway in Mark Chapter 13. The Gospel writer records an
extended block of teaching, where Jesus looks to the future and predicts what
is in store for His followers. Jesus’ predictions take the form not just of
exhortations to be vigilant because the End may come at any time, but also not
to get overenthusiastic and think that the End is imminent when certain events
take place.

Our saying alludes
particularly to Jesus' prophecy regarding the destruction of the temple ‘All will be thrown down…’ The religious system in Israel is corrupt to the
core and the disciples can expect that corruption to result in the cataclysmic events outlined in Mark chapter 13. Those events will be surpassed by the coming of the Son of Man, who will put
all things right, so the disciples need to remain vigilant.

However, unlike
most apocalyptic literature, chapter 13 is not concerned with signs that provide clues to the timing of
future events. When the disciples ask Jesus for “the sign that all these things
are about to be accomplished,” Jesus tells them of wars and natural disasters, but then says, “but
the end is not yet” and these signs are the beginning of ‘’the birth
pangs of a new age’’ In other words, these are not really signs that the end is imminent but are only preliminary stages that they must endure before the end comes. He
cannot indicate to them when these events will occur, because only God the Father
alone knows the timing of these occurrences.

The world will be plunged
into catastrophe, Jesus prophesies. He and his followers are called to live in
the place where the purposes of God and the pain of this world cross paths with
each other, and will find themselves caught up in the upheaval. Jesus warned
that they would be hated, a prophecy which was fulfilled a generation later when
Nero, in Rome viciously persecuted Christians. ‘‘ Who endures to the end will
be saved..’’

This new age which
Jesus is laying the foundation for, which will be lived in a fretful and
violent world, calls us to be faithful and endure. This is the crux of the new
Kingdom which Jesus was inaugurating.

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved”

A time is now kept for
silence of the mind - between 5 and 15 minutes

The silence concludes with
a short thanksgiving, and/or repeat the Saying:

Father, we thank you for
the gift of your Word.

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved”

Introduction to the second silence - a preparation for listening with
the heart:

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved”

We are in the
season of Epiphany where God has given us His Kingdom message to be made known
to all humanity. We are seeking a patience and faithfulness to cope in the
fretfulness and anxiety of the world around us. We have just taken cognisance
of the First World War with its political and economic consequences and the
sweeping aside of traditional structures in society. Today’s world is becoming
increasingly polarised and unstable, with various issues contributing including
climate change, political extremism and conflict on a global scale. Political,
economic and social change will result from Brexit. Technology and advances in
communications have a huge impact on how we live our lives. The future looks
unpredictable, the foundation stones that we once depended on have fallen. How
can we avoid fear, anxiety and paralysis and learn to live in a world of flux?

The image of
birth pangs had been used for centuries by Jews as they reflected on the way
they believed God was intending to bring to birth His new creation in which
justice, peace, mercy and truth would at last flourish. Our vocation is to
recognise these birth pangs in our midst, so that the Kingdom message is
proclaimed.

The American
theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr saw possibilities in adversity. He observed that
some of the most profound religious movements happened during times of crisis.
For example, the Protestant Reformation occurred during a time of great unrest
and tension in Europe. In today’s world too, the church can be seen as going
through crisis, which is a very difficult experience for church people. But our
faith must not be centred on any human institution but on the will and purposes
of God who never changes.

In our own
lives, we have defined a patience and faithfulness when things go wrong and all
is being thrown down around us. Following a family bereavement, I received a
sympathy card encouraging me to take the opportunity to renew or form new
relationships. Finding ‘a new way of living’ is a challenge, but it’s giving
birth to a new future living without a loved one.

Nothing remains
the same for very long. As Christians, we can trust in the constancy and
reliability of God. We can put our faith in Him wholeheartedly, we can build
patience, live faithfully and endure, knowing that He is in control. There is a
freedom as we embrace this way. The eternal changelessness of God embraces the
changing world with a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things.

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved”

A time is now kept for
silence of the heart - between 5 and 15 minutes

Conclude the silence with a
short thanksgiving and/or repeat the Saying:

Father, we thank you that your Word is alive and within us.

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved”

Introduction to the time of intercession – we use our will to reflect
God’s Word outwards.

"All will be thrown down ... the birth-pangs of the new age begin ... who endures to the end will be saved”

For the purposes of intercession in our groups we might shorten the Saying and use just a part of it - for example, "the one who endures to the end will be saved”

In our time of intercession, we bring into the
silence anyone for whom we wish to pray, enabling the Word to be spoken to them
through us.

In creation there are birth pangs, there
are natural disasters. Suffering is woven into the fabric of human
experience. With the passing of time as we enter a new year our circumstances will
change. For all of us at times the future may look uncertain. We believe God is
in this change, stretching from now into the future. We believe the one ‘who
endures to the end will be saved.’

In our prayers we may particularly like to
remember those who are ill, those who are awaiting results of medical tests,
those facing life-changing decisions, those who are anxious, those who are
bereaved and young people. We may also like to include our political leaders at
this time of uncertainty on these islands.

We ask God to help us in our faithfulness
to Him and for the ability to endure regardless of circumstances, trusting that
no matter what happens, God is in control.

Say the name of a person or a group of people, and
after a short pause, repeat the saying.

Conclude the time of intercession
with words of thanksgiving:

Father,
we thank you that your Word has gone out through us to those for whom we pray.

Use the Fellowship Prayer
or another closing prayer to conclude your time of contemplative prayer.

Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your
unsearchable riches which pour forth from you as light from the sun, in
boundless profusion and generosity, whether received, ignored or rejected. And
now we offer to you, in so far as we are able, as an emptiness to be filled with
your divine fullness, ourselves, our souls and bodies; all that we are, all
that we have and all that we do. Amen